diff --git a/public/src/widgets.js b/public/src/widgets.js
index 863ce62be0..f06ec5fcc6 100644
--- a/public/src/widgets.js
+++ b/public/src/widgets.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 	};
 
 	ajaxify.widgets.render = function(tpl_url, url, callback) {
-		var widgetLocations = [], numLocations;
+		var widgetLocations = ['sidebar', 'footer'], numLocations;
 
 		$('#content [widget-area]').each(function() {
 			widgetLocations.push($(this).attr('widget-area'));
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
 		function renderWidgets(location) {
 			var area = $('#content [widget-area="' + location + '"]');
 
+			if (!area.length && window.location.pathname.indexOf('/admin') === -1) {
+				if (location === 'footer') {
+					$('#content').append($('<div class="col-xs-12"><div widget-area="footer"></div></div>'));
+				} else if (location === 'sidebar') {
+					$('#content > *').wrapAll($('<div class="col-xs-9"></div>'));
+					$('#content').append($('<div class="col-xs-3"><div widget-area="sidebar"></div></div>'));
+				}
+
+				area = $('#content [widget-area="' + location + '"]');
+			}
+
 			socket.emit('widgets.render', {template: tpl_url + '.tpl', url: url, location: location}, function(err, renderedWidgets) {
 				var html = '';
 
diff --git a/src/controllers/admin.js b/src/controllers/admin.js
index 97f6efdc42..d940e06534 100644
--- a/src/controllers/admin.js
+++ b/src/controllers/admin.js
@@ -109,7 +109,12 @@ adminController.logger.get = function(req, res, next) {
 adminController.themes.get = function(req, res, next) {
 	async.parallel({
 		areas: function(next) {
-			plugins.fireHook('filter:widgets.getAreas', [], next);
+			var defaultAreas = [
+				{ name: 'Global Sidebar', template: 'global', location: 'sidebar' },
+				{ name: 'Global Footer', template: 'global', location: 'footer' },
+			];
+
+			plugins.fireHook('filter:widgets.getAreas', defaultAreas, next);
 		},
 		widgets: function(next) {
 			plugins.fireHook('filter:widgets.getWidgets', [], next);
diff --git a/src/widgets.js b/src/widgets.js
index 62e1b55309..e1ca3b504c 100644
--- a/src/widgets.js
+++ b/src/widgets.js
@@ -18,7 +18,16 @@ var async = require('async'),
 
 		var rendered = [];
 
-		Widgets.getArea(area.template, area.location, function(err, widgets) {
+		async.parallel({
+			global: function(next) {
+				Widgets.getArea('global', area.location, next);
+			},
+			local: function(next) {
+				Widgets.getArea(area.template, area.location, next);
+			}
+		}, function(err, data) {
+			var widgets = data.global.concat(data.local);
+
 			async.eachSeries(widgets, function(widget, next) {
 				plugins.fireHook('filter:widget.render:' + widget.widget, {
 					uid: uid,